London: The Palace, The Eye and The Tower

Our second day in England was jam-packed as we were scheduled to visit some of London's top attractions. We also had pre-booked tickets for the Buckingham Palace Tour and the London Eye.

Waiting for the tube from Sloane Square to Victoria which is the closest stop to Buckingham Palace.

We had some time before the Palace tour started so we grabbed a bite to eat at a little café nearby. My husband's got me really addicted to some typical English breakfasts like this bacon sarnie (an English sandwich) that I'm having.

The tall gates fronting the Palace

My bodyguards for the day. I looked like a tiny kid standing next to these London "Bobbies." They were so huge even though I was on tip toes!

The sculpture behind me is the Victoria Memorial. It's found in front of Buckingham Palace and is dedicated to Queen Victoria.

The Grenadier guards marching in the Palace grounds.

Every summer, the Queen heads for the Balmoral Estate in Scotland. When she's not in London during this time, Buckingham Palace opens its doors to the public. I was really pleased we got tickets for the Summer Opening of the State Rooms because the guided audio tour was amazing! We were able to go inside the rooms that are used regularly by the Queen and members of the Royal family for official and State entertaining. Among the 19 State Rooms that we walked through, we saw the Throne Room, Ballroom, State Dining Room and the Music Room, where four royal babies were all christened namely Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince William.

The Palace is furnished and decorated with priceless works of art that form part of the Royal Collection. Every year, the Palace's Summer Opening holds a special exhibition. This year, in honor of the Queen's Diamond Julibee, they had a "Diamonds" presentation. Among some of the items on display were Queen Victoria's recognizable miniature personal crown and Queen Elizabeth II's favorite "Granny's Tiara."

After visiting the State Rooms and the "Diamonds" Special Exhibition, we were able to walk around the grounds, buy souvenirs from the Gift Shop and enjoy walking along the south side of the Palace Garden past the famous lake. Under the white tents on the left is the Palace Café where you can get refreshments and snacks.

Too bad photography was prohibited inside the palace. Wanted to share to you guys all the rooms, furniture, paintings and other antiques.

We then proceeded to Westminster and headed for the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben fronting the River Thames.

Charles and I on Westminster bridge ♥

The London Eye

Paired this vintage camel blazer with a chiffon yellow top. The crown print on my SM GTW trousers was in keeping with the day's activities. Strapped on my Call It Spring nude heels, grabbed a brown clutch and wore white round sunglasses from Romwe to finish the look.

The view from our pod on the London Eye

Parliament and Westminster bridge viewed from our pod

We also went to the Tower of London where the Crown Jewels can be found. This was also the place where prisoners back then were held and executed.

Meet my new friend, Barney, the Beefeater. The Beefeater guards secure the Tower of London.

Adjacent to the Tower is Tower bridge.

After all the tours, we both deserved "99" ice creams. These consist of softly whipped vanilla ice cream with a Cadbury's flake on top.